Alistair Petrie is an international minister and teacher on the principles and practices of transforming revival. In a transformation conference hosted by IFA several years ago, Petrie shared some insights for those who are praying for revival in this nation.

He suggested that though there is a place for persevering prayer and heartfelt repentance, Scripture suggests seven different heart characteristics that God is looking for when determining where and when to pour out His Spirit. As we pray individually and corporately for this nation, these attributes of righteousness are keys to unlocking our breakthrough.

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Petrie challenges us to consider these seven qualifiers if we want to “attract” God’s heart and prepare a holy place for Him to dwell. It always starts with us individually assessing our own heart condition. Then, as each individual gets aligned with God’s heart and purpose, the corporate testimony will be impacted and our joint intercession will have power and authority.

Here are the seven characteristics in order of progression, starting personally, then overflowing to the corporate:

1.HUMILITY – Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:10)

This is the starting place for all prayer. We must surrender our own agenda to His and submit to His methods and timing, taking a posture of serving and not striving.

2.HOLINESS – Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

We must walk in the fear of the Lord and esteem holiness and righteousness as the foundation of His throne, not allowing any compromise or double-standard to weaken our authority.

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3.RELATIONAL UNITY – I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Our unity is based on the work of the cross and our corporate commission to declare the Kingdom of God in our midst.

4.INTEGRITY – The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Proverbs 11:3)

We must become trustworthy stewards who are shown to be people of His Word, able to guard, keep, and occupy what He wants to give us.

5.TRANSPARENCY – For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. (2 Corinthians 8:21)

We must admit when we are wrong and be authentic in our journey of sanctification.

6.BEING VERTICALLY INFORMED AND HORIZONTALLY ACCOUNTABLE – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

We are stronger together than we are apart. Our mutual accountability has great impact as each part does its work.

7.GIVEN TO CORPORATE PRAYER (leading to tangible results) – All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts 1:14, 2:1-2)

If we want to see a corporate shift, it requires corporate agreement. Heaven listens for the unified voice of the Church and will respond to our corporate cry for His presence.

Prayerfully consider these seven qualifiers and share them with those you pray with. Assess your heart condition, both personally and corporately. Are you seeing these characteristics displayed in your corporate testimony? If not, address the adjustments needed and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you in preparing a place for Him to come and pour out a greater measure of His Spirit and His glory.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. (Psalms 133:1-3)

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